Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

Interface Definition Language
     
        (IDL) 1. An {OSF} standard for defining {RPC} stubs.
     
        [Details?]
     
        2. Part of an effort by {Project DOE} at {SunSoft, Inc.}  to
        integrate distributed {object} technology into the {Solaris}
        {operating system}.  IDL provides the standard interface
        between objects, and is the base mechanism for object
        interaction.
     
        The {Object Management Group}'s {CORBA} 1.1 (Common Object
        Request Broker Architecture) specifies the interface between
        objects.  IDL (Interface Definition Language) is the base
        mechanism for object interaction.
     
        The SunSoft OMG IDL CFE (Compiler Front End) version 1.2
        provides a complete framework for building CORBA 1.1-compliant
        preprocessors for OMG IDL.  To use it you write a back-end.  A
        complete compiler of IDL would translate IDL into {client}
        side and {server} side routines for remote communication in
        the same manner as {Sun}'s current {RPCL} compiler.  The IDL
        compiler front end allows integration of new back ends which
        can translate IDL to various programming languages.
     
        Several companies including Sunsoft are building back ends to
        the CFE which translate IDL into target languages,
        e.g. {Pascal} or {C++}, in the context of planned
        CORBA-compliant products.  IDL requires C++ 2.1.
     
        Not to be confused with any of the other {IDL}s.
     
        E-mail: .
     
        {(ftp://omg.org/pub/omg_idl_cfe.tar.Z)},
        {(ftp://omg.org/pub/OMG_IDL_CFE_1.2/)}.
     
        Telephone: Mache Creeger, SunSoft, Inc. +1 (415) 336 5884.
     
        (1993-05-04)